The present invention relates generally to modular building panels, and more particularly, to hanging systems used with building panels.
Modular building panels are used to construct building structures when time, cost, or convenience is a priority. Manufacturers of such buildings have developed methods to easily attach building panels together to form the walls of structures. This allows builders to quickly construct a building to meet a customer's needs. Modular building panels have features and characteristics that allow them to be assembled into a final structure relatively quickly and easily.
Currently, there is no solution known to easily and modularly attach utility routings within the panels of completed modular structures. Items such as: water pipes, gas lines, electrical conduit, network cables, sewer lines, and similar routings, are typically routed and hung throughout the structure in the similar ways used for traditional buildings. These methods fail to capitalize on the priorities of modular building systems. The methods may not be quick, low cost, nor modular. Moreover, they may be permanent and inconvenient to disassemble. At times, they may be attached to the modular structure in ad hoc ways that are detrimental to the integrity of the modular structure or building panels themselves.
The present invention addresses the problems of using traditional utility routing attachment methods. A modular building panel attachment system is disclosed that attaches to a building panel. This attachment may provide not only an attachment point for a utility routing, but it may also provide a load-distributing design to minimize potential damage to the building panel due to the weight of one or more hanging utility routings. Particular concerns addressed by the load-distributing plate are: pull-through, indentation, permanent deformation, stress fracture, or any other forms of damage. For example, an attachment stud may be designed to protrude through both sides of the ceiling building panel. On one side of the attachment stud, a load distribution plate may be attached to distribute a hanging load over the surface of the panel. On the opposite side, a means for attaching a water pipe to the attachment stud may be provided. This would allow a pipe to be hung from an existing attachment stud in a building panel while the attachment is secured to the panel via a load distribution device.
In an exemplary embodiment of the modular building panel attachment system, the attachment stud may be a secured to the building panel using a threaded attachment on the underside protrusion of the stud, at the intersection of the stud and the panel. The load distribution device on the top side of the panel may be a load plate attached to the top of the attachment stud. At the lower extremity of the attachment stud, threads may allow the attachment of a means to hold a utility routing. Non-limiting examples of the holding means may be a hook or a clamp to secure a pipe.